Growing up in Southern California, I had a generous neighbor with a peach tree. At least twice per summer my mom made cobbler extraordinaire. It’s become my quest to duplicate that amazing dessert, and it’s been a long road. My children have grown tired of seeing the disappointment on my face each time I fall short. But I keep trying. Through the years, some batches have come fairly close, while a few have been miles away from Mom’s.  Sadly, none of them were exactly on target.

I now have a peach tree in my own yard, but the season is short, and I can’t eat cobbler every night until I get it right. So, it is with great pleasure (and relief from my whole family) that I announce: last Sunday a near miracle occurred. My newest attempt was the one closest yet. Ta da!! It’s almost exactly like mom’s.

The actual stuff

I’ll give a little description below. Please dear readers let me know what great peach cobbler is made of in your own tastebuds’ memories, and how you’ve fared in your own quest to duplicate it.

In Mom’s version the filling is cooked on the stovetop before going into the oven:4 cups sliced peaches, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1 1/2 cups water, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 3 TBSP. instant tapioca, dash salt. Bring it just to a boil, and let it simmer a few minutes until the tapioca starts to soften. I love the starchy, smooshy texture of the little tapioca balls combined with the sweet but tangy, chewably solid texture of the peaches.

The crust is basically baking powder biscuit dough (Mom used Bisquick, but I’ve never been successful with that. Grr), with extra sugar and cinnamon added. The hot peach mixture is poured into a 9X13 pan, and covered with the crust that’s been rolled out and trimmed to fit. Bake at 425 until peach mixture is bubbly and crust is lightly browned on top. It smells like heaven.

4 of us nearly ate the whole thing 🙂